"I think we’re the dog" - Austin Dillon on his chances to win the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon went through a rough patch before winning last week’s regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. The win kept the #3 Chevrolet driver in the race to compete for the Cup Series championship along with the other 15 playoff drivers.

In a recent interview ahead of Darlington’s race, Dillon spoke about his chances of winning the 2022 NASCAR championship. The road to winning his maiden title, however, will be harder for him as he currently stands 16th in the Cup Series standings. Consequently, he will be battling in the elimination format during the post-season where every playoff race will be do-or-die for the Welcome, North Carolina native.

Austin Dillon said that he is confident about the playoffs and is happy to be in contention to win the championship. He later said that he is an underdog as people are putting him out, and that he is fine with it because it takes the pressure away from him so that he can enjoy his racing and try to upset other drivers.

Dillon said:

“I’m confident at the tracks in the playoffs. RCR has shown speed at every type of track with Tyler (Reddick) winning the road courses, us winning the speedway. Martinsville, I finished third but was probably the second-best car there. And we probably should have won the 600 at Charlotte; I was really close there when you got down to it.”

He continued:

“I’m happy to be in this spot and I think we’re the dog. Some people are already putting us out, which is just fine with me because it takes pressure off and we’ll go have fun and try to upset some of these guys, and take it as survive and advance mode from here on out.”

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Austin Dillon’s odds of winning Cook Out Southern 400 at Darlington Raceway

Along with a lone victory, Austin Dillon has four top-five finishes and a couple of runner-up finishes. He is competitive and has the momentum which makes him the favorite driver heading into the Round of 16.

Heading to Darlington Raceway, Austin Dillon has the 11th best odds to win the Cook Out Southern 400 at +4500 odds, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. If he wants to win his first Cup Series championship, he has to perform exceptionally well in every upcoming playoff race, and along with that, he has to keep an eye on stage points.

Catch #3 Chevrolet driver at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 4, 2022, where he will start on the seventh row after qualifying P13 in the qualifying race.